BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team led for more than half the game and led by as many as 15 mid-way through the second half but South Dakota State scored 13 of their final 17 points from the free throw line as the Jackrabbits topped the Golden Eagles 74-67 Saturday afternoon at Frost Arena.

Albert Owens scored 19 points while Jalen Bradley added 18 to lead the ORU offense. Emmanuel Nzekwesi rounded out the top scoring trio with his fifth double-double of the season scoring 16 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

Mike Daum scored 38 points for the Jackrabbits, while Chris Howell was the only other SDSU player in double figures with 20, 14 of which came from the free throw line.

ORU turned the ball over 13 times and SDSU used it to a 22-4 advantage in points off turnovers. ORU dominated the paint to a 38-28 advantage inside.

Quote of the Game
"I thought our guys played hard. I can't fault our effort, especially the first 27 minutes of the game. I thought we out-toughed them. We competed and we were the first to loose balls. We built a 15-point lead and then we didn't play with the same toughness. We did a poor job of playing defense without fouling in the second half and making them finish shots instead of putting them at the free throw line." – Head Coach Scott Sutton

Turning Point An Aaron Young 3-pointer gave ORU a 15-point lead at 52-37 with 13:17 to play, but SDSU scored the next eight points to get the lead back under double figures and continued to chip away before finally taking the lead at 62-61 with 4:15 to play.

Individual LeadersOral Roberts: Owens connected on 8-15 from the field en route to 19 points, while Jalen was 7-13 for 18 points, including three triples. Nzekwesi's 11 rebounds led the way on the boards.South Dakota State: Daum had 38 points and 17 rebounds for the Jackrabbits, while Michael Orris notched six assists.

Inside the Box Score - ORU shot 45 percent (27-60) for the game, but hit just seven of their final 20 shots of the contest. The Golden Eagles hit 29 percent (5-17) from long-range and 53 percent (8-15) from the free throw line.

News and Notes
- Nzekwesi posted his fifth double-double of the season and second in Summit League play.

- After scoring 20-plus in eight straight games, Owens has been held below his Summit League average in two straight contests.

- The 23 points given up in the first half were the second fewest scored by an ORU opponent in the first half, only behind the 21 given up to Little Rock.

- ORU led by 10 at halftime despite a banked-in 3-pointer at the buzzer by the Jackrabbits. Saturday marked just the third time this season in which ORU has given up a halftime lead.

Up Next
ORU will play its next to the last home game of the year Wednesday as the Golden Eagles host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. February 8.

For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on Twitter or Instagram or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics Front Row App at ORUAthletics.com/frontrow or the ORU Golden Eagles Live App in iTunes or the Google Play Store.